Improvement in musical instruments



UNITED STATEs PATENT Q EEIcE.l

MARSENA CANNON, OF SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH TERRITORY.

IMPROVEMENT IN MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 139,293, dated May 27, 1873; application filed March 22, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARsENA CANNON, of Salt Lake City, in the county of Salt Lake and Territory of Utah, have invented a new and Improved Musical Instrument, of which the following is a specification:

In the accompanying drawing, Figure l represents a front elevation of my invention, and Fig. 2 a vertical transverse section of the same on the line c c, Fig. l.

Similar letters of reference indicate correspondin g parts.

My invention is an improvement in the class of musical instruments provided with coiled wires arranged to be struck by hammers, and thus act` as substitutes for the wire strings usually employed in pianos. The improvement consists, mainly, in the arrangement of keys and coiled wires, so that the former act on the latter directly, or without the aid of intermediate mechanism. The advantages are simplicity, economy, compactness, and ease or facility of operation of the instrument.

In the drawing, A represents the frame or case to which the tuning-wires and keys are applied. The wires B are connected in suitable position to frame A by a 'screw-thread at their ends, held by nuts and Washers a, or similar suitable fastenings. They may be made of any desired form of wire, round, square, or otherwise, their other ends being coiled in the shape of a clock-bell wire, and arranged of different lengths, size, and metals, producing thus a great variety of tones. Keys O are suitably pivoted to frame A, and strike the corresponding wires, allowing thereby a variety of sounds and the harmonious combination of the same. Wires B may be adjusted b v lengthening or shortening them, and thereby tuned to the pitch required.

Having thus described my invention, I claim I as new and desire to secure 'by Letters Patent- The keys C and coiled wires B relatively arranged as specified, for the purpose set forth.

MARSENA CANNON. Witnesses:

BYRON G. FIELD, ORsoN PRATT, Jr. 

